Gonzaga WBB's Lauren Whittaker Shines for New Zealand in FIBA Pre-Olympic Qualifiers

As a final tune-up before her sophomore season in Spokane, Gonzaga women’s basketball forward Lauren Whittaker recently participated in the Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament for her home country, New Zealand.

This qualifying round consisted of a series of games over a week-long span, hosted in Mexico. New Zealand was part of Group A, which also included Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, South Sudan, Senegal, and the Philippines. Whittaker got the opportunity to play alongside her sister, Charlotte, a 6-3 forward who played four seasons at Colorado, and against the Zags’ all-time leading scorer, Canadian Yvonne Ejim, who was named to the tournament’s “All-Star Five”.

Canada went 5-0, securing the only available spot to advance to the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in 2028. New Zealand fell to the Canadians in the semifinals, going 2-2 overall, but it was an encouraging stretch for Whittaker, who looks to build on her WCC Player of the Year performance last season.

New Zealand Beats Argentina 57-35

Whittaker: 11 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST, 7 TO, 2 STL; 4/12 FG, 1-1 3PT, 2-6 FT

Used primarily as a traditional post player in New Zealand’s opening game of the tournament, it was far from Whittaker’s most efficient performance offensively. 11 of her 12 attempts came from inside the arc, and she grabbed a game-high nine boards. Whittaker’s lone triple came as a trailer, which she did plenty of times last season when connecting on 35% of her attempts from beyond the arc.

When Whittaker had the ball on the perimeter, and specifically when she tried to put it on the floor, she ran into trouble. Although she had 91 turnovers last year – second-most on the Bulldogs – these miscues came on guards picking Whittaker’s pocket.

In the fourth quarter, Whittaker imposed her will on both ends, as she was a huge part of New Zealand breaking away from the Argentinians in the final period.

Brazil Beats New Zealand 56-53

Whittaker: 21 PTS, 11 REB, 1 AST, 4 TO, 1 STL; 7-11 FG, 1-3 3PT, 6-10 FT

In her best performance of the tournament, Whittaker dropped a double-double against Brazil, which should be no surprise after the 6-3 forward averaged 19.1 points and 10.2 rebounds and logged 17 double-doubles during her freshman campaign. She scored 11 of New Zealand’s 13 points, taking advantage of mismatches down low each time she touched the ball as Whittaker converted six of her attempts from inside the arc.

Whittaker was also much more effective at both getting to the charity stripe and converting her free-throw attempts, while on the floor for 33 of the game’s 40 minutes. All 11 of her rebounds came on the defensive glass, as she routinely sealed off opposing players. And although she had only one assist, Whittaker made plenty of quick, instinctive passes throughout.

Despite Whittaker’s efforts, New Zealand’s 24 turnovers proved too much to overcome, like numerous Zags games last season.

New Zealand Beats South Sudan 82-74

Whittaker: 7 PTS, 11 REB, 1 AST, 1 TO, 1 STL; 3-12 FG, 2-8 3PT

It was a mixed bag for Whittaker against South Sudan, disappointing in several areas while remaining a factor in others. Most notably, she struggled with the athleticism of South Sudan’s bigs, shying away from inside shots in favor of three-pointers. Whittaker’s eight three-point attempts would’ve tied the season-high total she set on the road against Oregon State.

A presence on the boards, Whittaker led the game in rebounds, allowing New Zealand to stage a late comeback. Her lack of efficiency and aggressiveness almost cost her squad, though, as Whittaker converted only two of her two-point tries and didn’t take a single free throw.

It was rare to see her game impacted that much, with the outlier being GU’s NCAA Tournament loss to Ole Miss, whose guards were as big as Whittaker.

Canada Beats New Zealand 86-71

Whittaker: 21 PTS, 4 REB, 3 TO, 1 STL; 5-10 FG, 1-2 3PT, 10-12 FT

Canada outclassed New Zealand for much of this semifinal matchup, but Zags fans were treated to a battle between Whittaker and Ejim – two of the best bigs in program history. Ejim logged six points and 11 boards, while Whittaker led all players in scoring.

In the first quarter, Whittaker finished a smooth reverse layup over Ejim. Defensively, Gonzaga’s current five got the best of its former star, denying Ejim touches and even getting to her spots on rapid cuts and post opportunities.

Whittaker was also relentless in attacking the rim, finishing with more free throw attempts than shots from the field. Despite the uncompetitive score, she went downhill constantly and was New Zealand’s most consistent scoring option in the loss.

During her accolade-filled freshman year, Whittaker starred in her efficiency and as a true rebounding weapon. She is a solid three-point shooter, but rarely allows that to dictate her shot diet. With capable guards like Allie Turner and Zeryhia Aokuso around Whittaker, she doesn’t need to create her own shot often or be viewed as a primary facilitator. As long as Whittaker presses the issue inside, opposing defenses will have to respect her outside jumper, which should open up even more shots at the line for Gonzaga’s offensive engine.